SRH bowlers shine in redemption as KKR fall for the second time in a row

Brief Score: SRH (226 for 8 in 20 overs) beat KKR (161 all out in 16 overs) by 65 runs in Match No.6 of IPL 2026 in Kolkata on Thursday. KKR vs SRH, IPL 2026: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

Sunrisers Hyderabad bounced back brilliantly from their defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to thrash the Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs, opening their account in IPL 2026. Against RCB, SRH’s bowling had looked off-colour as the Challengers chased down 202 in just 15.4 overs.

At Eden Gardens, however, the Sunrisers’ bowlers stepped up, dismissing the Knight Riders for 161 in 16 overs and redeeming themselves in style. The win also boosted SRH’s net run rate and, more importantly, their morale after the earlier thrashing.

Ishan Kishan came under pressure as captain after the match against RCB but responded remarkably, securing his maiden win as IPL captain.

The Knight Riders, meanwhile, had begun the season with a heavy loss to Mumbai Indians, and this defeat pushed them down to ninth in the points table. Their bowlers were taken to the cleaners, and the batting lineup faltered under pressure, losing wickets at regular intervals during the chase.

For the first time since 2012, the Knight Riders have begun their campaign with back-to-back defeats. Interestingly, in that year, they went on to win the title. It remains to be seen whether they can turn things around this time after such a shaky start.

ABHISHEK, HEAD GO BERSERK

The Sunrisers made a thunderous start after being asked to bat first, with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head looking ominous from the outset. Vaibhav Arora bowled a tidy first over, but from the second over onwards, Abhishek and Head went berserk in the powerplay. The duo added 82 runs in just 5.4 overs to hand SRH the perfect platform.

Sunrisers piled up 84 runs in the powerplay, the highest by any team this season so far. Head was dropped on 34 by Ajinkya Rahane, but the miss did not prove too costly for KKR as Kartik Tyagi removed him for a blazing 46 off 21 balls just when he looked set to take the game away.

Varun Chakravarthy had a forgettable outing, leaking 25 runs in his first over and not even being trusted to complete his quota, finishing with figures of 2-0-31-0. SRH, meanwhile, raced to 100 in just 7.2 overs and at one stage looked capable of crossing 250.

KLAASEN TAKES SUNRISERS PAST 200

However, Blessing Muzarabani sparked KKR’s comeback in the ninth over. After conceding 16 runs in his first over, he bounced back brilliantly by dismissing Ishan Kishan and the dangerous Abhishek Sharma in the same over. Abhishek, who smashed 48 off 21, fell to a sharp diving catch by Varun, who at least found some redemption in the field.

Anukul Roy then joined the party by removing the dangerous Aniket Verma, leaving SRH at 118 for 4 after they had earlier cruised to 82 for 1.

Nitish Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen steadied the innings with a crucial 82-run stand, Sunrisers’ highest-ever fifth-wicket partnership in IPL history. Vaibhav eventually broke the stand by dismissing Nitish for 39 off 24, and then removed Salil Arora in the same over to briefly threaten a hat-trick.

Klaasen then took charge in the death overs, scoring 52 off 35 balls with four fours and a six to power SRH to 226 for 8. Muzarabani was the pick of the KKR bowlers with impressive figures of 4-0-41-4.

ALLEN, RAGHUVANSHI KEEP KKR IN HUNT

The Knight Riders could not have asked for a better start as Finn Allen came out all guns blazing. David Payne was taken apart in the opening over, leaking 25 runs. However, SRH struck back instantly after introducing spin in the second over, with Harsh Dubey pulling off a sharp caught-and-bowled dismissal to remove Allen for a stunning 28 off just seven balls.

After Allen’s early departure, Angkrish Raghuvanshi was promoted to No.3 ahead of Cameron Green, and he combined with Ajinkya Rahane to keep KKR’s chase on track. The Knight Riders held a slight edge at that stage, racing to their fifty in just 3.2 overs. Raghuvanshi continued his impressive run of form, backing up his fifty against MI with another brisk half-century, this time reaching the milestone off just 27 balls.

Rahane, though, endured a scratchy stay, managing only eight runs off 10 balls before Jaydev Unadkat finally ended his stay at the crease. KKR suffered another setback when Cameron Green was run out off the final ball of the powerplay. Initially, it looked like Raghuvanshi was the one short, but replays later confirmed it was Green.

KKR CRUMBLE UNDER PRESSURE

Debutant Shivang Kumar impressed in his maiden IPL outing, bowling with control and keeping things quiet despite conceding a boundary off the last ball of his first over. He was unlucky in his second over as a couple of misfields resulted in boundaries, helping KKR cross the 100-run mark in the ninth over.

With 117 needed at the halfway stage, the contest remained well poised. But KKR were dealt a huge blow when Raghuvanshi, who had a forgettable day while running between the wickets, was run out for 52 off 29. Thereafter Nitish Reddy removed Anukul Roy to leave Rinku Singh with a mountain to climb.

Once Rinku departed in the 14th over, it was always going to be a tall order for the Knight Riders. Sunil Narine began his knock with back-to-back sixes of Nitish, but his stay was short-lived when Malinga dismissed him.

Thereafter, Malinga and Unadkat comfortably cleaned up the tail as Sunrisers dismissed the Knight Riders without breaking a sweat. After leaking 35 runs against RCB, Malinga responded brilliantly with two crucial wickets, helping SRH stage a strong comeback.

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